As the owners of the James Hook and Co. and Boston Harbor Garage sites prepare their redevelopment plans, Boston officials see an opportunity to make the central waterfront more appealing to tourists and residents.
A proposed municipal harbor plan could force developers to pay for upgrades to make the waterfront more of a year-round destination. The wish list includes new wharf space and public art exhibits, a small park near the Chart House, heated waiting areas for ferries and new food concessions or attractions at the end of Long Wharf.
A proposed restaurant on Long Wharf has been delayed for more than four years by a lawsuit brought by a group of North End residents, but uses such as food trucks or a carousel might be feasible, said Vivien Li, president of the Boston Harbor Association.
“Those are the types of things you can do that can cost very little, but are actually a draw for the public to enjoy,” she said.
The city has the leverage to extract concessions from developers because waterfront parcels are subject to state Chapter 91 regulations, which limit building heights and preserve public access. An advisory committee
to the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) has been meeting for 14 months to assess the condition of the waterfront and recommend improvements.
Richard McGuinness, the BRA’s deputy director for waterfront planning, was not available for an interview on the harbor planning process.
In April, the BRA issued a draft “Downtown Waterfront Realm and Watersheet Activation Plan,” a 50-page document that suggests ways to improve the design of waterfront properties and public spaces.
The document would serve as a guide to a municipal harbor plan, which would give the city the power to require tradeoffs from developers of projects that exceed Chapter 91 height limits. The limits apply to buildings taller than 55 feet within 100 feet of the waterfront.
The BRA report singles out the James Hook and Co. property and Harbor Parking Garage parcels as potential new gateways to the waterfront.
Lobster wholesaler James Hook and Co. announced in December that it intends to occupy the first floor of a new development on the Northern Avenue parcel where its lobster pound was destroyed by fire in 2008. The company has not submitted a detailed proposal.
The report also said redevelopment of the Harbor Garage site should be designed to provide pedestrian access and open space along Milk Street and the waterfront. Li said the project could be an impetus for improvements to Long Wharf or Christopher Columbus Park.
The Chiofaro Co. of Boston has owned the seven-story garage since 2007. In 2009, developer Donald Chiofaro proposed 59- and 40-story towers on the site, but withdrew the proposal in 2012 amid opposition from neighborhood residents and former Boston Mayor Thomas Menino.
Boston Mayor Martin Walsh has indicated that he supports more density and height in the downtown area, rekindling prospects for the Chiofaro tower.
In a statement, The Chiofaro Co. said it will provide an update on its concepts this summer when the BRA discusses the draft report’s recommendations for the garage property. But it is not expected to release a specific building proposal.
Connecting The Greenway And Harbor
The BRA study also looks at how to improve connections between the Rose Kennedy Memorial Greenway and the North End, Financial District and Seaport District. It suggests adding more public art and performances throughout the year, upgrading water transit services and adding a central information center for waterfront transportation services.
Kishore Varanasi, an architect active in large urban projects, cited the Liberty Wharf complex in the Seaport District as a recent model for waterfront development that preserves public access. The three-building office and restaurant complex opened in 2011 at the former Jimmy’s Harborside restaurant site on Northern Avenue. Built on a pier, it includes a half-acre of public boardwalk space.
“You feel you belong there and anybody can go there. That’s what the public access is all about,” said Varanasi, a principal and director of urban design for Boston-based CBT Architects.
Ground-floor public spaces also are critical to creating a sense of community, Varanasi said.
“Making them feel like public spaces rather than private lobbies is where the magic is,” he said. “You walk through it rather than around it to get to the water."
Email: sadams@thewarrengroup.com
